Virulence of the Pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis Is Controlled by the CRISPR-Cas Protein Cas3.

ABSTRACT: The CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat)-Cas system is a unique genomic entity that provides prokaryotic cells with adaptive and heritable immunity. Initial studies identified CRISPRs as central elements used by bacteria to protect against foreign nucleic acids; however, emerging evidence points to CRISPR involvement in bacterial virulence. The present study aimed to identify the participation of one CRISPR-Cas protein, Cas3, in the virulence of the oral pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis, an organism highly associated with periodontitis. Our results show that compared to the wild type, a mutant with a deletion of the Cas3 gene, an essential nuclease part of the class 1 type I CRISPR-Cas system, increased the viru

SUBMITTER: Solbiati J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7527141 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature